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Despite cutting one thirty-something running back this off-season, the New York Jets are now entertaining another.

Today the Jets, who cut Thomas Jones due to a large roster bonus he would have otherwise received, are hosting LaDainian Tomlinson, who met with the Vikings yesterday.

Tomlinson, who was released by the Chargers, hasn't been the same dominant running back he was earlier in his career during the past two disappointing seasons.

With the Vikings or the Jets, LT would serve as the back-up running back to either Adrian Peterson or Shonn Greene. His role with the Vikings, however, would be more defined since they lost Chester Taylor, who was their third-down back, to Chicago. Meanwhile, the Jets have Leon Washington to occupy that role.

The one thing that LT hasn't done in his Hall-of-Fame career is win a Super Bowl. Both the Vikings and the Jets were one game away losing to the Saints and Colts, respectively, in the conference championships.

Tomlinson ranks eighth all-time in rushing yards (12,490) and third in touchdowns (153) behind Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The San Diego Chargers were eager to move cornerback Antonio Cromartie. And they now have.

“I think it’s good for both parties,” said Chargers cornerback Quentin Jammer, via the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Cro got his wish, and the Chargers got their wish.”

In exchange for Cromartie, the Chargers will receive a third-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft from the Jets, which could increase to a second-round pick depending on Cromartie's playing time.

As Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News points out, the Jets will get a bargain if they get the 2007 version of Cromartie, who intercepted ten passes that season.

Pairing the 2007 version of Cromartie with Darrelle Revis, who I believe is the league's best cornerback, would create the league's top cornerback tandem and provide the Jets' defense with even greater flexibility to be disruptive.

Or they could get the whining, matador-style tackling version that coincidentally wanted no part of Jets running back Shonn Greene in the AFC playoffs.

Last year, Cromartie, who was the Chargers' first-round pick in 2006, had only three interceptions and 33 tackles.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 02:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

New York Jets running back Thomas Jones was one of only three running backs to rush for over 1,400 yards in 2009. Titans RB Chris Johnson and Rams RB Steven Jackson were the other two.

This week, Jones, who turns 32 in August, will become one of three running backs to share something less fortunate in common.

With LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Westbrook being released this week by San Diego and Philadelphia, respectively, Jones is about to become the third aging running back with big (or more than the team wants to pay) salaries and/or roster bonuses to be cut, according to Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News.

Jones, who rushed for a career-high 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2009, was unwilling to restructure his contract, per Cimini. He has a $3 million roster bonus due on top of his $2.8 million salary.

In the post-season, it was rookie Shonn Greene that showed he was ready to be the featured back in the offense. In addition, Leon Washington expects to return in time for the season opener after breaking his leg last year.

One potential destination for Jones is New England, as pointed out by Cimini, which could come back to haunt the Jets.

Some other destinations that I think would make sense include Houston, who have one of the league's best pass offenses but struggled to run the ball, and San Diego, who cut LT and won't franchise Darren Sproles. And Joe Fortenbaugh of National Football Post thinks the Eagles, in addition to the Chargers, should pursue Jones when he gets released.

Without Jones to share carries and with the talented Jets' offensive line, Greene will be one of the top 10-15 running backs drafted in 2010 fantasy football drafts.

Meanwhile 2010 fantasy value for Jones largely depends on his destination. Given the right opportunity, Jones should come through with another 1,000-yard season for fantasy owners in 2010.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Colts receiver Reggie Wayne is looking forward to the "challenge" of facing Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who finished second in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting.

In the first matchup, the Colts pulled their starters in the third quarter and Wayne finished with three catches for 33 yards.

"It was an adventure on Revis Island, I guess," Wayne said, per the Indianapolis Star. "It was fun. One thing about Revis is he's going to challenge you. He's going to make you play your best. That's all you can ask for. I accept that challenge."

With no disrespect intended for Green Bay cornerback Charles Woodson, who won the Defensive Player of the Year award, I believe Revis is the league's best "shutdown corner" (even if New England's Randy Moss takes exception to that phrase).

Revis, who called Moss a "slouch," said: "You got to play 60 minutes if you are going to play against us. You can't sit here and play 45. It doesn't happen like that. You got to compete. That's is what it's about. When you're not competing - come on now. Let's compete. If they score five touchdowns on me, I'm going to give him his respect."

In addition to shutting down Moss (nine catches for 58 yards in two games), Revis shut down several other elite receivers this season.

Revis shut down Houston's Andre Johnson (four catches for 35 yards), Buffalo's Terrell Owens (six catches for 44 yards in two games), Carolina's Steve Smith (one catch for five yards) and Cincinnati's Chad Ochocinco (two catches for 28 yards in two games).

Wayne is one of my favorite receivers in the league. He's as talented of a receiver as there is in the league but he's not a trash-talker and perhaps doesn't get the credit he deserves because of his quiet demeanor.

This season, Wayne finished with 100 receptions for 1,264 yards and 10 touchdowns.

While Revis wasn't exclusively on San Diego's Vincent Jackson last week, he may not cover Wayne exclusively this week.

Earlier in the week, Revis said, "Yeah, my job is going to be tough once again. I'll be moving around on Reggie Wayne and (Pierre) Garcon, and probably a couple other receivers as well."

That said, as Phillip B. Wilson of the Indianapolis Star points out, Revis covered Wayne on all 39 plays in their first matchup.

For the Colts to beat the Jets today, they will likely need for receivers not named Reggie to have solid games today as it's unlikely that Wayne gets much more than 50 yards against Revis.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Perhaps he's a bit (or a lot) of a loud-mouth. But one thing's for sure: he's always entertaining.

And as Ohm Youngmisuk of the NY Daily News points out, it's his personality that keeps the team confident and prevents them from getting too tight.

"I always say this, 'Whatever you guys do, just do-do-do-don't panic,'" Ryan stammered (via the NY Daily News). "We are not going to panic. No, never. There might be some concerns. But I never feel like that. I mean, I'm excited."

"Oh, go have fun, let's go, play the position, have some fun," Ryan said (about what he told rookie QB Mark Sanchez). "Just because every kid in the world dreams to be in this spot, don't let it affect you."

And while Rex Ryan is brash and a trash-talker, the other rookie coach in tomorrow's game (Jim Caldwell) is the complete opposite.

“He works with a lot of class,” Colts linebacker Clint Session said. “He doesn’t need to talk about it. He is about it. That’s what’s rubbed off on all his players. We go about it the same way.”

While the Colts are accustomed to post-season appearances and have a coach on the field at QB in Peyton Manning, they need a steady hand to run the show. For the Jets, on the other hand, they have limited to no playoff experience and a rookie quarterback, who will be expected to manage the game.

That said, Ryan and Caldwell may be polar opposites, but they are the same in that both of their styles are perfect for their respective teams.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite breaking his hand on the first play of the Chargers game, Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis will play against the Colts in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.

In fact, he continued to play on third downs against the Chargers after he had broken it. Mike Ellis played on first and second downs.

Ellis will have surgery after this week's game since he says that "the skin would burst back open" [if he had surgery this week] "so I have to suck it up, cast it up again and just go out there and play."

If the Jets beat the Colts, Ellis will be able to play in the Super Bowl with two weeks rest.

Ellis finished second on the team in sacks (six) in 2009.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and running back Michael Turner will play against the New York Jets today.

Turner, who has battled a high-ankle sprain, has played in only one (partial) game in the past four weeks. In that game against the Bucs, Turner carried the ball 12 times for 33 yards.

Meanwhile, Ryan hasn't played since leaving after one series in week 12 against Tampa.

The Jets' pass defense has allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks over the past three weeks. In fact, they have only given up a total of 321 passing yards and no passing touchdowns during that span.

Against the run, the Jets have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs over the past three weeks.

So, if you have Ryan, Turner or the other Falcons' running backs (Jason Snelling and/or Jerious Norwood) on your fantasy roster, I would sit all of them on your bench.

And with shutdown corner Darrelle Revis on Roddy White, I named him my WR Dud of the Week in our weekly fantasy football podcast.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the fantasy football playoffs on the horizon, here are my top 5 wide receivers for week 13:

1. Randy Moss, Patriots (at Dolphins): In his first matchup against the Dolphins, who rank in the bottom 10 in passing yards allowed (233 ypg), Moss had six receptions for 147 yards and one TD. On the season, Moss leads the NFL in receiving yards (992) and is only one behind the leaders in TD receptions (eight). After getting their ass whooped on prime-time TV, expect the Patriots, Tom Brady, Moss & Co. to come out swinging.

2. Andre Johnson, Texans (at Jaguars): Johnson is one of the league's most complete receivers and perhaps the most underrated. This week, Johnson gets a favorable matchup against the Jaguars, who have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to receivers this season. On the season, Johnson ranks fourth in the league in receiving yards (945).

3. Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals (vs Vikings): The Vikings have been without Antoine Winfield, the team's best cornerback, for the past five games. On the season, the Vikings have allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers. My expectation is for QB Kurt Warner to return from his concussion as Fitzgerald had his worst game of the season with Matt Leinart as QB last week. Fitzgerald is tied for the league lead in touchdowns (nine) including four TDs in the last three games in which Warner has played.

4. Reggie Wayne, Colts (vs Titans): Wayne is second in receptions (79), second in receiving yards (987) and tied for first in touchdowns (nine) in the league. In addition to their improvements with Vince Young under center, the Titans have improved on the defensive side of the ball as they are healthier now. Only the Lions (27) have allowed more receiving touchdowns than the Titans (25) on the season. During their five-game winning streak, however, the Titans have allowed only the 18th-most fantasy points to opposing receivers.

5. Sidney Rice, Vikings (at Cardinals): In three of his past six games, Rice has 136 receiving yards or more including a game with 201yards. With the exception of his game at Green Bay, Rice has had 89 yards or more in five of his past six. Favre and Rice have built chemistry quickly and they have a favorable matchup against the Cardinals, who have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to receivers this season.

Click here for top 50 wide receivers for week 13.

More rankings: top 25 QBs | top 40 RBs | top 20 TEs | top 20 kickers | top 20 team defenses

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 07:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

With the fantasy football playoffs on the horizon, here are my top 5 running backs for week 13:

1. Thomas Jones, Jets (at Bills): The first time that Jones faced the Bills this season, he rushed for 210 yards and a touchdown. The Bills have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season and only the Raiders have allowed more rushing TDs than the Bills (16). Since the Jets want QB Mark Sanchez to air it out less and less (his attempts have gone from 35 to 30 to 21 to 17), Jones better bring his lunch-pail tonight.

2. Chris Johnson, Titans (at Colts): As well as Johnson has played in the past six weeks (125+ rushing yards every week), you can consider Johnson 1(a) -- not #2 -- in this week's rankings. During their five-game winning streak, Johnson has rushed for seven touchdowns. Although the Colts have a middle-of-the-pack run defense on the season, they've given up the 11th-most fantasy points to opposing RBs in the past three weeks.

3. DeAngelo Williams, Panthers (vs Buccaneers): DeAngelo has cooled off a bit with no touchdowns in the past three weeks and only one 100-yard game during that span. The first time that Williams faced the Buccaneers this season, he carried the ball 30 times for 152 yards and two scores. Expect more of the same against the league's third-worst rush defense.

4. Adrian Peterson, Vikings (at Cardinals): The Cardinals were the league's top-ranked run defense earlier in the season, but they have dropped to 14th in the NFL against the run (108.6 ypg allowed). In four of the past five weeks, they have allowed an opposing running back to eclipse the century mark. Surprisingly, Peterson has only three 100-yard games on the season, but he is second in the league with 12 rushing touchdowns.

5. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars (vs Texans): MJD has rushed for more rushing touchdowns (13) than any other running back. (Of course, none of those are as famous as the TD that he didn't score.) That said, Jones-Drew faces a Texans run defense that turned itself around after the first three weeks. In week 3, however, MJD rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns.

Click here for top 40 running backs for week 13.

More rankings: top 25 QBs | top 50 WRs | top 20 TEs | top 20 kickers | top 20 team defenses

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

It's time to put up or shut up. If you haven't yet clinched a playoff berth in your fantasy league, it likely comes down to week 13 for you as most fantasy leagues start their playoffs in week 14.

And to paraphrase Bill Parcells, this is why you buy those cheat sheets, do those mock drafts, etc. -- to get into (and win in) the playoffs.

Here are my top 5 quarterbacks for week 13:

1. Peyton Manning, Colts (vs Titans): Manning is the only QB to average over 300 passing yards per game (310.5) and is second in passing touchdowns (24). While the Titans and their defense have been playing better lately, they have allowed the second-most passing touchdowns (25) this season.

2. Brett Favre, Vikings (at Cardinals): In his past four games, Favre has thrown 12 touchdowns and no interceptions. On the season, Arizona allows the fourth-most passing yards (258.3 ypg).

3. Drew Brees, Saints (at Redskins): Brees is coming off a five-TD performance against the Patriots in what was arguably the most important regular-season game in team history. Although this week's opponent (Washington) allows the fewest passing yards in the NFL (170.4 ypg), Brees and the Saints offense are firing on all cylinders right now.

4. Tom Brady, Patriots (at Dolphins): Brady failed to connect on a TD pass last week, but he had 332 passing yards against the Dolphins in their first match-up. With targets like Randy Moss and Wes Welker, it's not likely that Brady goes TD-less in back-to-back games.

5. Philip Rivers, Chargers (at Chiefs): Rivers has posted three consecutive 100+ QB ratings and this week he faces the Browns, who have allowed the ninth-most passing yards (233.4 ypg) this season. In the past four games, Rivers has thrown eight touchdowns and only two interceptions.

Click here for top 25 quarterbacks for week 13.

More rankings: top 40 RBs | top 50 WRs | top 20 TEs | top 20 kickers | top 20 team defenses

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 06:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The New York Jets and quarterback Mark Sanchez face the Buffalo Bills in Toronto on Thursday night.

In their first matchup of the season, Sanchez had his worst professional performance in which he threw five interceptions with a quarterback rating of 8.3.

(To put a QB rating of 8.3 in context, the career low for Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell is 17.4.)

On the season, the Bills have 21 interceptions, which is second only to the Saints (22). In addition to the challenge of facing the Bills' ball-hawking secondary, he has an injury to his left knee, which coach Rex Ryan calls "sore."

"I know he's sore, so we'll see how that goes," Ryan said. "It's a short week ... but he finished the game. I thought he was still moving around pretty good, so hopefully he'll be 100% when we play."

Today Sanchez got some sliding lessons from Yankees manager Joe Girardi, per Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News.

From Girardi, he said that he learned "(how to) hook my leg, because I wear that brace on my left leg so you don’t want to hook that leg into the ground because it might get stuck. He showed me how to do it with the opposite leg and hook that leg under. He showed me how to protect the ball while I am sliding and try not to fall on one side or the other on my shoulder, just absorb the blow with my butt and my legs. It was important for me to learn that and I really appreciated it."

So, what's next for Sanchez? Perhaps Ryan will have Kobayashi or Joey Chestnut teach Sanchez how to eat hot dogs.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith has been added to the team's injury report as questionable with sore ribs, according to Charles Chandler of the Charlotte Observer.

Smith has caught three (of his four) touchdown passes in the past two games.

If Smith plays against the Jets, however, he could have a long day as he'd likely be matched up against shutdown corner Darrelle Revis.

The Jets allowed their first 100-yard receiver (New England's Wes Welker) of the season last week. While Welker was having a career day (15 receptions for 192 yards), Revis held Randy Moss to only 34 receiving yards on five receptions.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here are the stats (receptions and receiving yards) for Patriots receiver Randy Moss in his first three games of the year: 12-141, 4-24 and 10-116.

Can you guess in which of those three games Moss faced Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis?

If you recall, Moss said that it was safety help over the top that led to his lack of production in week two and that there is no such thing as a "shutdown corner."

That said, it's time for round two between these two and Revis is standing by his words.

“Everybody saw the game, everybody knew I was in man coverage,” Revis said (via the Boston Herald). “He’s supposed to say that . . . (That) day wasn’t his day. He got shut out, and he was frustrated about it. Cool. I don’t have nothing against him. I still think he’s one of the best receivers in the league. If that’s what he said, that’s on him. We play them twice a year. I have to see him again, he has to see me again.”

“I don’t feed into talking and all that crazy stuff. I’m a 12-year vet. So that stuff don’t bother me,” Moss said. “My biggest thing is, when you talk like that, you better back it up. So, we’ll see. We’ll see what goes down.”

In his past four games, Moss has 28 receptions for 524 yards and six touchdowns including three 100-yard games.

If you have Randy Moss on your fantasy football team, he's a must-start even when he's facing arguably the league's top cornerback (no disrepsect intended for Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha). That said, I would temper your expectations if you expect another 100-yard, multi-touchdown performance from Moss.

Posted by Kevin Hanson at 03:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez could have had his season go from good to bad to worse.

What helped save it?

Apparently, a DVD given to Sanchez by coach Rex Ryan did, per Rich Cimini of the NY Daily News.

When viewing the DVD called "What We Want," which began with clips of Hall of Famer Joe Montana, Sanchez thought to himself, 'Jeez, who's next, Troy Aikman? Dan Marino?  I'm like, 'I really have to start playing.'"

Instead the video Ryan gave Sanchez included highlights of Sanchez (from USC and his start with the Jets).

"Just looking at the throws, I was like, 'Man, I was awesome. That's me doing it,'" said Sanchez, according to Cimini. "It was a little boost, a little something I could really use. That's exactly what I needed and Rex knew it."

It's easy to forget with the performance of rookie quarterbacks from last year's draft class (Atlanta's Matt Ryan and Baltimore's Joe Flacco) that it's common for rookie quarterbacks to have ups and downs.

Overall Sanchez has played reasonably well "for a rookie."

With the exception of two games (Buffalo and New Orleans), Sanchez never had a QB rating lower than 81.4 for a game.  In those two horrible games, Sanchez threw no touchdowns and eight interceptions.

In his other six games, however, Sanchez has eight touchdowns and only two interceptions.

But Sanchez says, "A lot of people will say, 'Hey, man, you're a rookie and you're playing really good for a rookie.'  But I don't want to play like a rookie. I want to play like a 10-year vet, a Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champion."

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“You go out from the first quarter on, from the first play on, and try to embarrass them,” Rhodes said, per Gary Myers of the NY Daily News. “Not just go out there and try to win, try to embarrass them. Try to make them feel bad when they leave here. We don’t want to just beat them. We want to send a message to them, ‘We’re not backing down from you and we expect to win this game, and it’s not going to be luck, it’s not going to be a mistake.’ ”

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Continue reading "2009 AFC East Prediction" »

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“I will admit that we are in some discussions with the team,” Rosenhaus said Tuesday at the NFL Spring Meeting. “He’s not unhappy. There is no acrimony, and who knows? He may even be showing up in the near future. I don’t think this situation is as bad as people are making it out to be, and we’re hopeful he will be back in the fold and there won’t be any issues.”

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"Like anyone else, he could always change his mind in the future about retiring, but I haven't heard anything from him that that's the case," [Favre's agent "Bus"] Cook has said.

"I'm tired of being part of his soap opera," said one player, who requested anonymity. "If he really wanted to win a championship, he'd be right here. Let's call it for what it is: He wants to play for Minnesota so he can stick if to Green Bay twice a year. He's just being selfish. I'm, not surprised."

"Before he came to us, the whole thing was he wanted to go to Minnesota," Cotchery said. "You kind of feel bad if you were the team he settled for."

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"A lot of times when you have a defensive lineman transition to a linebacker spot, it's difficult and the biggest part of it a lot of times is the mental part," Ryan said. "You start talking coverages and that's totally foreign to a lot of those guys. But with (Westerman), he has picked it up better than any of the other linebackers.

"I'm like, 'Hey, this guy is pretty sharp.' And obviously, he has some physical traits we really like. He loves to play, a passionate guy, was well-coached, a physical player. I think when the pads come on he's actually going to raise his level."

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"We're going to look for talent where we can find it," Johnson said Saturday in an interview with the Daily News. "If a guy has committed a crime and is in jail, obviously we can't take him. We're committed to improving the team.

"They don't need my permission. They'll talk to me, obviously. Mike has to make the final choice. I'll weigh in, like I do frequently, but it's his decision. It's all based on whether the individual can help the team or not."

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"Nothing has changed," Favre said in a statement. "At this time, I am retired and have no intention of returning to football."

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"Right now, we're really comfortable with where we are at 17," Tannenbaum said last week. "If opportunities came along that we thought made sense for the organization, we'll take a long look at it, but right now we fully anticipate taking a player at 17."

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On Clemens: "I thought he looked outstanding," Ryan said. "He did decent the first day, but I really like how he took charge of the offense and really brought that unit out. They had a lot of spark. He made good decisions and showed poise."

On Ratliff: "He made some great throws - he has a talented arm - but he still made a couple of mistakes in there," Ryan said. "I'm sure that will go back and forth as we look at these guys. But I thought, clearly, Clemens had an outstanding day."

"I think if you're in a competition like this every snap you're trying to show whoever is evaluating you, from your teammates all the way up to the general manager, that you've worked hard and you deserve an opportunity to go out there and play on Sunday," Clemens said.

"Competition is a fun thing," Ratliff said. "There is always going to be competition. It makes players better."

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“I became more comfortable with the offense as the year progressed,” Keller said. “I worked on blocking with Coach Devlin on hand placement and footwork and things should get better from here on out.”

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“Things are going,” Washington said. “The main thing that we have and they have is we both want to get something done. The Jets have been expressive of wanting to get something done. The Jets have done the right thing traditionally with Jerricho (Cotchery), Kerry Rhodes, with guys who have played well for this organization and have done the right thing.”

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"I guess the new word now is the swagger he displays," Washington said of Ryan. "Hopefully, that can be infectious to the rest of the team. I was telling one of the guys, this was the way I was used to playing when I was at Florida State. We kind of went out and did our thing and not too much worried about what everybody else did. Hopefully, that attitude can be infectious to the rest of the guys on the team and go out there and do our thing and have swagger about it and be confident about it."

"I think the right guy got the job," safety Kerry Rhodes said. "He set the tone for us early, letting us know that we're going to be a confident group, that we're going to go out and attack, which is something that we want to do and is something we think we should do."

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“If Ryan wanted Favre, he would have called him or shown up on his doorstep in Hattiesburg,” Myers writes.

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"Me and Jay just don't get along too well right now," Rhodes said. "...You can be confident, but when you're too confident for your own self, that can be a little tough."

"At times, it can be distracting, I'm not going to lie," Clemens said of the Cutler buzz. "It's not like, 'Oh, Jay could be here, that's great.' You try to ignore it and focus on things under your control . . . I try to dismiss it as best I can, but it's easier said than done."

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"I am very excited about the opportunity to play for the Jets and Mr. (Woody) Johnson," Izzo said in a statement. "I'm grateful for the chance to be reunited with Coach Westhoff, who played a key role early in my career, and look forward to playing for Coach Ryan as he brings his passionate, physical style of football to New York.''

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"I've liked Jim since his days at Wisconsin and was excited when we were able to bring him to Baltimore last season," Ryan said. "He was everything I expected him to be in 2008 when he bailed us out at safety after we had some injuries. He's a smart player that can get guys lined up in the secondary and was one of the best tacklers on that Ravens defense.

"He's always around the ball, brings everything he has on every play, and will be a great addition to our group of defensive backs."

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"At the end of the day, when all was said and done, who did they come back to?" Moore said on a conference call. "This is where I wanted to be.

"My family is comfortable here. You can't put a price tag on being comfortable. I hope I finish my career here."

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"Obviously, he's very happy," said his agent, Ken Vierra. "The Jets were extremely aggressive and professional. At the end of the day, it was an opportunity to win another Super Bowl and stay with his teammates, along with a good, aggressive, solid offer from the Steelers. That was enough to keep him there."

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